Kina-crisis na naman ako...

First entry after ilang months ini-emo ako... Asar much!

Eksena: Office, sinendan ko ng IM yung office friend ko.

Me: September na bukas bakla... Magpapasko na naman... Tatanda na naman ako... Haayyy kina-crisis na naman ako.

Meg: Ahahaha... Ayan na naman tayo.

Me: Pero alam mo ba, happy na rin ako kasi may binanggit si mama sa kin hehehehehe

Meg: Tungkol san?

---End of Conversation---

Naisip ko lang kasi, matatapos na naman ang taon, isa na naman ako sa mga taong walang kakwenta kwenta... Bakit kamo? Eh walang nangyayari sa buhay ko eh... I'm stuck in my 8-5 job doing same things for the past three years... Single pa rin ako (which is ok lang naman sa kin kahit papano)... Andito pa rin ako sa Pinas (pero sa totoo lang, ayoko na pumunta sa kahit saan... Naiinis lang ako sa pressure ng paligid, alam mo yon? *teary-eyed while writing this part).  Tanong ko sa self ko, ano bang goal ko sa buhay?  If I'm able to answer this, only then can I be at peace.

Eh simple lang naman ang gusto ko sa buhay eh: Magkapamilya period. Yung meron akong kids of my own at hindi nakikihiram ng anak ng may anak. Yung meron akong asawang inaalagaan. And, I'm my own boss at yung work ko is would require travel and yung first love ko (photography). Simple lang yan pero parang ang hirap abutin... Hay!

Two Down, Ten to Go

Two of the items in my wishlist were already granted...
I visited my ortho-surgeon at Asian Hospital this morning to have my post-op foot checked.  Good thing I didn't have that super lazy ass to postpone the visit and weather today was fine so nothing can stop me from my doc visit.  Anyway, when I arrived the clinic, the secretary told me to get my xray film first from the Radiology Department because only the official reading was forwarded to the doctor.  When I came back (to the clinic), I read the official reading and felt that everything was already normal.  I waited about forty-five minutes before my name was called (I was already the 13th patient considering I arrived early).  AAnd then it was my turn... I was happy seeing my doctor again hehehe... My handsome doctor hehe... Anyway, I asked him if I can already run because I signed up for a marathon this Saturday.  And he said "Yes! Ok na yung foot mo o, no lesions or fracture whatsoever.  Wag mo lang biglain.  Run-Walk-Run ka na lang" and I felt ecstatic!  He even told me that he'll recommend my Vibram to his future buniectomy patients.  At, eto pa isang comment from him "ok na yung paa mo, pwede ka na mag-asawa". HAHAHA! Buset na doctor!  Ok lang, at least ngayon, I'm confident that I can walk, run, jog, go hip hop class or do capoeira normally :-)

I know this is a very late post for the newest addition in our family, but I'm very happy to say that my sister in law gave birth to a healthy (9 pound) baby girl and she was named Carleen.  At first, we thought that it was a boy... And we felt that the baby was a boy.  Then my brother told us that based on the ultrasound, the gyne was not sure if it's a boy or a girl.  Still we felt that it was a boy until the final ultrasound.  It's a girl.  And then I dreamed that my sister in law gave birth to a baby girl but she looks like my brother. HAHA.  Anyway, when I reviewed my wishlist, it was there, right in front of my face that I was wishing for a baby girl. Tee hee! :-)

Now, there's a lot of reasons to celebrate! Yey! After my follow-up check-up, I went to the mall for a little shopping and to eat at my favorite Italian restaurant here in our place-Gotti's.  I had Pasta Bolognese, Chicken Fingers, Pizza and Iced Tea for my main course and this was the first time I tried their Tartufo Nero for my dessert.  Tartufo Nero (English: Black Truffle) is a dark chocolate gelato with cherry in the middle.  At first, I thought, Gotti's' menu was just fooling me because I can't find the cherry after eating half of the Tartufo.  When I started eating the other half, the cherry showed up! :-D

And few of my captured memories from today...

Yummy lunch!

Tartufo Nero

I was surprised to see a marshmallow in the middle instead of the cherry.

Ok! There's the cherry!



Few of my finds from Body Shop



Plus a rewards card from Body Shop :)



Pa-rant lang no...

May 12, 2011. Thursday. Sweldo. Ang saya-saya! Even though toxic ang araw na ito sa work, d.e.a.d.m.a. Kasi sweldo... But NO!

http://matthewjamestaylor.com/art/angry-man

Kasi ganito yon... Nagpa-appointment na ako sa suki kong si Mang David's para magpa-foot spa, pedicure at threading. Pagdating ko sa salon... Ayun si Ate, may minamanicure. Hintayin ko na lang daw kasi matatapos na... Aba, I waited for 45 minutes at hindi pa tapos ang customer ni Ate. Yun pala, ipepedicure pa sya. Dapat maghihintay pa ko for another 15 minutes, kaso, after 2 minutes, tumayo na ako from the waiting area at pumunta sa branch head at sinabing "Ate, babalik na lang ako bukas. Pa-appointment ako mga 6pm. Gutom na kasi ako eh". Naka-smile pa ko non at humingi pa ng dispensa si suking manicurista sa akin... Pero ang totoo, asar na asar na asar na asar na ako... So yon, before I went to the salon pala, I had my photo taken (at Fujifilm) for my IELTS exam requirements at binalikan ko na lang sya from David's.  Eto na, sabi ni Ate'ng taga-Fuji after 30 minutes tapos na yung pic ko, aba eh 45 minutes na nakakalipas di pa napiprint yung picture ko! So ayun, sinabi ko babalikan ko na lang after dinner... Buti na lang gwapo yung photographer hehe :-D Ayun, so, I went to French Baker to have a quick bite. Dapat sa Gotti's eh, kaso ayoko na umakyat ng isa pang floor kasi same floor lang ang Fujifilm and French Baker, ayoko na lumayo pa... Eto na... Nagsisisi ako ng lubusan dahil sa hindi pag-kain sa Gotti's. Hindi masarap ang Lasagna sa French Baker!!! What happened to their Lasagna?! Hindi naman dati ganun yon... Masarap yun dati eh... Pero ngayon, ang lamig tapos ang asim! Hay! Kung hindi lang ako gutom, at kung wala lang taong nagugutom, hindi ko na inubos yung Lasagna na yon! C.h.a.k.a.! At wag ka (with matching wagayway ng pointer finger from side to side), to cap the night, pagkapasok na pagkapasok ko sa pinto ng house, yung tito ko na cousin ni mama na ngayon lang dumalaw sa amin at ngayon lang ulit ako nakita after more than 5 years eh sinalubong ako ng palong palo'ng pagbati na "kamusta na ang aking pamangki'ng matandang dalaga?!" GRRRRRRRRR....!!!

Liberating Saturday!

Last Saturday, my friends, Shawie and Keat invited me for a movie date.  We were debating on what to watch since there were a lot of nicey movies showing this week.  I like Yogi Bear, Keat likes Love and Other Drugs and Shawie likes Season of the Witch.  Shawie doesn't like Yogi Bear, Keat likes anything that we would like.  We agreed on Love and Other Drugs and we chose the second to the last screening.  We arrived at the movie house forty-five minutes before the screening time but we're not just so lucky because the tickets were sold out for that screening.  We didn't want to get the tix for the last screening but we still want to watch a movie.  The only flick that was within our "allowable time slot" was Yogi Bear... Now, I'm lucky! Haha! 

So what can I say about Yogi Bear... I enjoyed the movie (and my Margarita wrap) so much!  Aside from the fact that it was my favorite Hanna-Barbera cartoon, the movie was in full 3D!  I love 3D!  I love how the water seemed to splash on my face or how Yogi's picnic food float in the air as if I can touch those... 3D rocks!  After the movie, we settled for coffee at McCafe.  I also had a sugar boost with their Rocky Road Brownie, yum!

And why was my Saturday so liberating?  Because, after the movie then I realized this was the first time in three months that I went out with friends on a Saturday night.  I felt like I was set free after so many years of confinement!  Even if it was just a movie/coffee date, I felt happy and good just being able to go out with friends!

 

One... Happy Birthday to ME!!!

My seven-day countdown to my birthday is over (I guess now you know why I put numbers as my title).  Today's my big day and it started by speaking with my aunt who is in Canada right now.  We "skyped" away from midnight till 1:30am!  And, I really waited for the very start of the 14th (12MN) because I wanted to "welcome" my birthday :-) My first well-wisher was Ann (my best friend's sister) who sent me an SMS at exactly 12MN, and she only had one wish for me... Love Life! Teehee! :-)  Then, since I was also chatting with Angel at the time, she was the second well-wisher via YM, plus she wrote a very nice birthday write up for me (because I kept on bugging her about it hehe) which made me go "awww..." Again, thank you so much bestie for that very touching write-up!  From midnight until the end of the day (as in 11:59pm), birthday wishes were coming in through different media--SMS, Facebook, Blogger, Skype, YM and Plurk.  My family and friends' common wish for me was...  A good man who will fight for me and my love; and (as Angel would say) real-life fairy tale happy ending :-)

Other than replying to the birthday greetings I received, nothing so fancy (e.g. party) happened in the day... Just a little pampering for myself at David's Salon and Spa.  I availed of their leg waxing, brow threading and pedicure... Now I feel so pretty! Haha!  After my salon visit, I went home and again "skyped" away (teehee!) until "my friend" had to sleep already.  I had my nap after skype-ing and when I woke up I cooked my own recipe of vegetable Carbonara... Yum!  And of course, like I always do since 2006, my birthday won't be complete without going to the church, thanking God and asking for a prayer from our Pastor.  It's funny too because the Pastor's wife invited me for dinner, isn't it supposed to be me who should invite them for a treat? :-D  After the nice dinner, I went to Pizza Hut and ordered two boxes of pizza which I shared with my mom and my brothers when I got home.  The day ended with (again) skype-ing with "my friend" until he had to leave for work.  It was only a simple celebration but I'm very thankful for my family and friends who remembered and who shared their time with me even in their simplest ways.

My birthday food!

The birthday girl

The birthday girl and her mom

The birthday girl and her crazy brother

Us! Papa was not around, he's at someone else's party hehe. My other two brothers were not around as well, one was in China and the other one was already sleeping.

 

Two

Aside from receiving two resignation letters from (whom I consider) assets of the team, I had a sort of h-to-h talk with someone I know today, which made my number two an interesting one! :-)
Because nothing too much special  happened today (except for the abovementioned), and it's only almost seven hours before my birthday, I would like to share with you my best friend's birthday blog for me in 2010...
I know this is long overdue, but like what they all say about this kind of stuff: It's better late than pregnant. I mean never. Wehehe.

My bestie celebrated her birthday more than a week ago, but I promised that I would dedicate a post to her as a birthday gift, no matter how long it took me to do it. I hope you forgive me if I wasn't able to do it right away. Things are just crazy lately and I haven't really had the time to blog and stuff. But, here it is. Enjoy! Whoopee!
Dear Bestie,
A few Sundays ago, I got the chance to sleep over at your house. It was unplanned but I'm so glad that I did. It had been ages since we last had a sleepover and finally having one again brought me back to our simple, happy teenage days. It felt just like old times. It was very comforting and very happy, even if all we did was giggle and talk about boys.
Being in your room, seeing all the things you have collected and accumulated throughout the years, made me realize the kind of woman you have become. It made me realize the kind of person you still are. Pictures of friends and family, keepsakes and mementos, photography books and photography equipment, stuffed animals, your spotless white church uniform --- these are really what you love and value most, and I'm happy that you come home everyday to these happy reminders. I'm happy that you do the things that make you happy.
I'm proud of how dedicated you are to honing your skills in photography, and I'm amazed with your dedication to your church work every single weekend. When you start talking about any of these two things, your whole face just lights up and I know that you really do love it. Keep it up!
We know the one thing that would make this equation complete, and you know that we wish this for you most ardently. I know you're getting impatient but don't worry, I know that it will come soon. Good things come to those who wait.
"Here's to lying, stealing, cheating and drinking. Lying in the arms of the one you love; stealing away from bad company; cheating death; and drinking in the moments that take your breath away."
Belated happy birthday, bestie! Love you!
The original post has my picture attached to it, check it out if you want :-)

Four

Receiving a text message from my subordinate that he/she can't report to work is the most dreadful thing for me in the morning.  Absenteeism means more busy hours for the center and failed service level requirement for me... This also means poor customer service.  Oh and just to add spice to my somehow ruined first day, our HR Manager called my desk to inform me of my never ending deductions.  Now, I just can imagine the numbers on my payslip.   What a way to start my week, eh?!
But, I don't want those things to ruin this day since it's already my birthday week! Ehem ehem, paging Angel for my birthday blog! :-D And just so those things won't affect me too much so that good vibrations would surround me, I posted my favorite photo of the day... :-)  Thank you, Kim Alexie Reyes for sharing this funny photo... Hehe :-)

Six

I had a great time today because it was one of my girlfriends' bridal shower.  Ann is getting married on the 16th of this month and her sister (my best friend) Angel organized a shower party for her.  I can't believe I was the earliest person to arrive at the venue--Room #73 of Red Box Karaoke in Greenbelt.  We rented a room and availed their happy hour lunch from 12:00nn-3:00pm.  Well, since almost all of us were late, we were only able to enjoy the happy hour for two hours.  I enjoyed the party though because the food was good (oh how I love the Vegetable Stew and the Fish Curry!), there was singing  syempre (I sang Waiting in Vain by Annie Lennox hehe)  and of course we "made fun" of the bride-to-be by giving her kinky gifts which she had her photo taken with it haha!  After the opening of gifts was the guests turn to write their wishes and tips on colored papers which Ann would open the night before her wedding.

After the party, some of us (Ann, Angel, Tina and Me) headed to Seattle's Best to have our caffeine boost and some pastries.  Oh how I loved my Double Fudge Brownie with my Oreo and Mint hot drink!  The pastry was crunchy outside and very chewy inside... The drink was a winner too!  The mint complements the Oreo cookie, yum!  And since Angel still has dinner with her college friends, Ann helped me to find a pair of shoes to wear on her big day.  I saw this nice slip-on with kitten heels but it was sort of expensive so we tried to still search for something that looks nice that fits my budget.  After too much walking, I told Ann that I would just go back next week since my foot was already aching and swelling.

Even if I missed someone today, I still enjoyed my #6! :-)

Seven

I don't know what's happening with my first Friday, I'm as lazy as Garfield! I woke up at 5:00 AM but got off my bed at 7:30.  It's already 1:35 PM, done with my lunch break and my day is almost done but I still haven't sent any report.  I just want to sleep or just chat or Plurk.  Good thing though, YM is disabled in the office and there's no reason I can talk to relatives abroad.  No reason for me to go on "idle", all I have to do is get my work done but I just can't get my lazy ass on finishing the report... I blame this laziness to my agent who filed his resignation today!  *sigh*  
And since I still can't squeeze intelligent ideas off my brain to write on my report, I think I just have to search Google of some nice corporate uniforms it has.  Our HR Department asked my help to search office uniform designs, print, then submit it to them on Monday for approval.  Well, I've been searching for fifteen minutes now and I still can't find a decent design!!!  Some Friday this is...
Oh well, so much for the office blah blah... You might ask why the title ("Seven").  I won't say it until next week, for element of surprise... Happy Friday I'm in love everyone! :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Every year, we celebrate three occasions in the church and it has always been busy every time these are celebrated.  Every December, we don't celebrate Christmas but we celebrate our year-end Thanksgiving and it's usually done either the 2nd or 3rd week.  

It has been a very very long (not day but) weekend for me since it started at 3:00am on Saturday and it ended at 5:00pm on Sunday.  It was so exhausting but I never felt tired since I enjoyed our celebration.  It started with a worship service and ended with a small get-together/lunch/party.  There was gift-giving and games which I did not participate because of my post-op foot (Oh, by the way, I tried to wear closed flat shoes but then my foot was swollen after)... but it's all good! Great food and lots of fun!

To all my brothers and sisters in faith, Happy Thanksgiving!

Mom, my brother and me

My brother, me, our missionary worker and mom

My First Day @ Work (after the surgery)

Ok, so today was my first day at work after my two-month medical leave.  I don't know if I just missed my cube so much or too excited to see my friends because I woke up 45 minutes earlier than my set alarm... Apparently, I had a sort of upset stomach and never returned to bed. Doh!  I was then inclined to think that the upset stomach was due to stress of going back to work.  Haha.
So, anyway, how was my first day?  It has not even ended yet; it's 1:20PM (GMT +8) on my watch now, and I can already say that I got a very bad welcome.  First, two of my friends were on their rest day; Second, our delinquent customer service rep was caught (by me) pressing the wrong Aux; Third, calls were pouring in so bad, and lastly, the supposedly sunny weather became a rainy one.  So much for a welcoming party huh?!
On lunch, my tummy was still not cooperating that I have to stick to a Hotdog Sandwich Meal from a local fast food chain; good thing though I have a pack of my favorite candy, Skittles for "dessert".  Having un brutto momento (a bad time) on the first part of the day, I decided to just chat with my best friend in Plurk for so-so minutes to somehow rest my mind.  Also, instead of doing my dailies, I made myself busy by blog hopping... and later on, blogging. Haha! Oh, however, in between these brutto momentos were things that made me smile about--a surprise call from a friend and a package full of treats! 
Now that I'm "recharged" from the "hustle and bustle" of my real world,  I should go back to work.  Ta ta! 

So, am I working or not? Notice the Blogger interface :-)

After the scorching heat... was this :-/

And a box full of Bacolod treats! :-D

Wish List

I don't celebrate Christmas but for the sake of the season I'm sharing my Wish List... 

1.   Lenovo laptop

2.     Nokia X3-02

3.     To walk normally

4.     Capoeira or Hiphop lessons

5.     Room make-over

6.     Baby Grand Piano

7.     Trip to Italy

8.     Baby girl for my brother and my sister in law

9.     New car for papa

10.     Range hood for mama

11.     Italian boyfriend (haha good luck!)

12.     Bicycle lane on every road in the Philippines

Date with Myself

My mom always tells me not to watch a movie alone... but I'm just so stubborn, I watched Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows alone.  And, this was not the first time I saw a movie by myself, it's the nth time!  As expected, the movie was bitin because it's just the first part but I can't help but to look forward to the second part. Oh, and I have to re-read my books because I can't recognize some parts anymore. 
Overall, my movie experience was just great! The seats of the theater were new and there was already this place for disabled persons (on wheelchair).  I think, the sound was already SDDS...? Also, I think I made the wrong decision to wear sleeveless blouse and short pants because the movie house was freezing!
After my date with Harry Potter (hehe), I went to my favorite Italian place--Gotti's--for my late lunch.  I just so love eating in this place!  Earlier, I ordered their chicken fingers, spaghetti Bolognese and pizza meal.  The meal also includes a glass of iced tea for only P125!  Oh yeah!  Who says you can't eat cheap Italian food?!  After my sumptuous lunch, I ordered for a Tiramisu flavored gelato.  The gelato, however disappointed me because it was not the "authentic" gelato that I order from Amici or Gelatissimo... It was just a Magnolia-Nestle ice cream :-(  Notice below, I didn't take a photo of it...
My churchmate sent me an SMS yesterday that goes "Try to make at least two persons happy in a day, but make sure that one of them is yourself."... I just did! :-)

My food up-close

Last Day of the 30 Day Bloggie Challenge

How fast time flies.  Today is the last day of our 30-day blog challenge and now I feel sad.  I never expected that this already became a part of my daily routine and ending it would mean that I'll miss doing it.  I asked my friends to have a repeat of this and they all agreed!  So I guess I shouldn't feel bad at all.  

The last challenge was for us to take a photo of ourselves and state three things we learned for the past 30 days. (I just so love my self-portrait because I got the right camera settings!) And for the past 30 days, I learned that there's so much fun in blogging (maybe because I have nothing to do during my leave haha!), that being a bum is so tiring even if I'm not doing strenuous activities (hehe) and that "disabled" persons are not disabled at all because we can still do a lot of things even with our crutches or cane.  I just hope I can already do away with my cane... Soon!

30 Day Bloggie Challenge Day 29

Things I'll never get tired of doing

Capturing memories

Going to the beach

and lastly...

     Attending to my church obligations

30 Day Bloggie Challenge Day 27

These are my photos taken in December of last year and this year... The only difference that I could see in the pictures is the length of my hair.  I'm still medium built and was able to maintain my weight from the previous year.  But, since our hair sometimes change how we look, I look thinner with my hair long.  What do you think?

Lovin' my Vibram!

Last night, I already planned to go to the Power Plant Mall in Rockwell to buy specialized shoes for my "very special foot", haha.  Mom actually did not want me to leave the house because she and her motherly instincts just don't want to.  But then she, my swollen foot and limited mobility did not get in the way of my shopping.  After giving my mom the longest face, she gave in and allowed me to go out provided that our house help would accompany me.  Ok then, fine by me!  

After the long agony of walking with my cane and some inconsiderate people who just can not give way to "disabled" persons, I finally bought my own Vibram FiveFingers!  Yey!!! I so wanted to buy this pair of shoes prior to my foot operation but I just didn't have time to go to the shop (it's only available at Power Plant Mall which is very out of the way).  And now, I already had all the reasons like it's for my "special foot" to purchase the shoes so the distance was nothing. 

I wanted to buy the Gray one but it's out of stock. I was hesitant to buy the Pink one because it won't compliment some of my shirts' colors.

I'm scheduled for Physical Therapy session tomorrow and my Vibram is just right for it.  The fit and the feel were great!  I just so love my Vibram!  For more information visit Vibram FiveFingers.

30 Day Bloggie Challenge Day 24

There are three things that mean a lot to me and these are (in this order):

God and my faith/religion

My family

My dog, Sacci

30 Day Bloggie Challenge Day 23

Who is Avee Balaag?

1. A photo enthusiast & an amateur photographer
2. Loves Eraserheads & Bob Marley
3. Gets pissed off with jologs radio stations
4. Hates songs that are remixed (yung usually pinapatugtog sa jeep at trike)
5. Foodie
6. Active member of the Iglesia ni Cristo
7. Has a dog named Sacci
8. Loves dogs, kids and weddings
9. Has two Herbert screws implanted on her right foot
10. Loves listening to 105.1 Crossover
11. Knows how to play the piano
12. Wants to try Bungee Jumping, Parasailing and Paragliding
13. Outdoor-ish/Beach person
14. Bakes cookies and brownies
15. Birks and Flip Flop person

Recurring Dream/s

Meron akong recurring dream/s lately.  Few months back, I've been dreaming of either a spiral staircase or just a staircase na lagi ako paakyat then pag nasa taas na ko, titingin ako sa baba tapos matatakot kasi para akong mahuhulog.  Parang tanga lang ako sa dream kasi pwede naman hindi tumingin sa baba para wag ako matakot di ba?  Pero laging ganon, tumitingin talaga ako sa ibaba.  So many times just recently naman (like kanina), I dreamed naman na I was flying sometimes gliding... Happily.  I texted my best friend Angel and she Googled my recent dream and eto yung sinabi nya:

          "Flying free: Freely flying as high or as low as you wish using your arms or feet for direction, often with the ability to do acrobatics in the air is an indication that you feel really good about something in your life. You are likely very proud of an achievement at work or at home, and life is good"1 

Having read that, natuwa naman ako.  I even assessed myself if I really feel good about something or of my achievement/s... Basically, yes.  I have so many blessings and I know marami pang darating. :-)

And since online na ako, I tried searching what a spiral staircase meant sa dreams and this was what Google gave me:

          "To dream that you are walking up a flight of stairs, indicate that you are achieving a higher level of understanding. You are making progress into your spiritual, emotional or material journey. The dream is also analogous to material and thoughts that are coming to the surface. To see a spiral or winding stairs, signify growth and/or rebirth."2

Meron pa kong recurrent dream, and I've been dreaming about this several times in my life. This year, parang hindi lilipas yung isang week or month na hindi ko sya makikita sa dream ko.  I'm riding a vehicle.  Kahit anong vehicle, whether it's a bicycle, motorbike, car, bus, or airplane.  Sometimes ako yung nagdadrive, sometimes ako yung passenger.  Sabi ng mom ko and tita ko, it signifies travel daw but when I searched Google, eto yung sabi nya:

          "To dream that you are riding in a vehicle (car, boat, trains, etc.), signifies the level and type of control you have over your life. Alternatively, the dream means that someone is exerting their power over you, depending on who is in the driver's seat."3

          "Riding in an airplane, while it makes us feel above it all, is conceptually no different from riding in a bus.  That is to say, you are going somewhere, but someone else is in charge, and you are trapped until you get there."4

Ang nicey ng meanings no? Parang connected pa yung first two dreams. 

1 www.dream2live.com

2, 3, 4 www.dreammoods.com